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This is how I got into optical 6 years ago, and now that I am at costco, I know how to do more tricky repairs and know more about unusual segs and glass lenses than anyone there I am not sure that anyone there has even ever edged a pair of lenses...
I am proud of the calluses I am building on my fingers, it hardly hurts if I get a frame too hot or poke myself with a screwdriver anymore!

Good Girl !! Keep it up and someday you'll know enough to go to work for me :D I pay $2.00 per hour and all the cheese and coffee you want :D:D

I made the minium wage.......

I made the minium wage.in 1959- One dollar an hour! My take home pay was 31.75 after deductions. Out of that I paid my grandmother 10 bucks a week room and board. I was in college at the time, in the evening division and, there wasn't enough money left over to get into trouble so I managed to spend an appropriate amount of time on studies and did reasonably well academicaly.

kinda off topic, but got me to thinking...When I was working in the early 70's as an apprentice optician, I worked at a downtown location with about 3 other competitors within a 2 block radius as well as a wholesale lab...all the newbies were sent around the different places trying to borrow a lens stretcher and a quart of panoptic oil...you'd be surprised at what they came back with...

1965 for me. Although I grew up around the industry before I worked in it. My uncle was an OD (and I could refract at age 10), my grandfather was an OD (mothers side), and both my other grandfather - then my father owned a wholesale lab.

Got $1.00/hour and started with grunt work in the surface room. You learned by spending your spare time working with others. Touched nothing unless the "expert" said you could. You had to know the entire surfacing operation before you could even think about working in finishing (we called it bench work back then).
And yes, I could make a "ringer". It was kinda a prestige thing.

Got married in 1966, and they gave me my first real raise (in their mind it meant I was committed). One year later, after another raise, and I bought my first house - at $100.00/week gross.

Went on to other things starting in 1972 (quit optical and was a police officer in Texas) for 5 years. Then went back to lab work until 1982 when I got into computers - with reference to optical software, as a consultant and program designer. Moved on to manage another lab for 2 years (after 12 with the software) then went to Essilor as a Techncial Services Mgr. moved around in Essilor a bit since i started with them in 1997.

You know a Panoptic from a Sovereign, and a Tillyer D from a Kryptok (and you used to front-surface Kryptoks to get 14mm round segs for golf glasses). You lost your Quasar, so you went back to your Manhattan. You remember when AO used to subsidize B&L in certain markets to avoid anti-trust problems. You wonder why you haven't fit a ptosis crutch (or a moisture chamber) in years, when they used to be more common.

You know a Panoptic from a Sovereign, and a Tillyer D from a Kryptok (and you used to front-surface Kryptoks to get 14mm round segs for golf glasses). You lost your Quasar, so you went back to your Manhattan. You remember when AO used to subsidize B&L in certain markets to avoid anti-trust problems. You wonder why you haven't fit a ptosis crutch (or a moisture chamber) in years, when they used to be more common.

I find comfort in a lot of the old school ways of doing things because it helps you learn and apply concept. Many of the newbies use apps to help but I don’t think truly understand why the old ways work so well.

Was it the VIP we could hold an intense uv blue light lamp over to show the progressive stamped markings?

I find it interesting how some markings are sooooo easy to see and others can be so faint. Way back when we used A LOT of VIP's and I recall they were really easy to see. Nowadays, it seems the laser engravings are either too faint which is a pain in the *** (we order ALL un-cuts and I do all the lab work) or in some cases they're too bold.

I have a UV blue light and now I can't wait to use it to see if it helps...